Sticking Together (Evy Story 22)
by quietandsneaky
Summary: Takes place in the season 1 episode Scarecrow. Sam leaves Evy with Dean while he goes to look for John. Evy is afraid that her family is falling apart.


**Disclaimer: The characters of Supernatural do not belong to me. The original character of Evelyn Winchester does.**

 **A/N: This story takes place during another of my favorite episodes, Scarecrow.**

A loud, insistent ringing broke Evy out of her peaceful sleep. Annoyed, she whimpered and pulled her blanket and her teddy bear tighter against her, as if that could make it stop. Though they had gotten a rollaway bed for her when checking in the night before, Evy had moved to Sam's bed in the middle of the night because of a nightmare. The routine was always the same when she had a bad dream. She'd get up, pick up Beanie and her pillow, pull the covers back on Sam's bed, and climb in. Sometimes Sam would wake up and ask her if she was alright. He'd give her a hug and hold her or scratch her back until she fell asleep again. Or sometimes he wouldn't wake up, but instead just wrap a protective arm around her, as if the instinct to protect her was so ingrained in him that he didn't even have to be awake to follow it. The phone kept ringing, and she eventually heard Sam reach over and pick it up.

"Hello?" There was a brief pause, and Sam suddenly sat up on the bed. "Dad. Are you hurt?"

Sam saying "Dad" jolted Evy awake quickly. She sat up beside him and listened to Sam's end of the conversation, trying to hold back tears. John was alive, which was more than they'd known for sure in the last few months. Sam attempted to get John to tell him where he was, but apparently John was refusing. When Dean snatched the phone away from Sam to talk to John, Evy couldn't hold it back anymore. Apparently, even after this long, John was still too hurt with her to want to talk to her. As angry as he was, Sam embraced her and held her while Dean talked to John. Evy heard Dean tell John to wait, then walk over to the bed with the phone. He held it out to her.

"Here." he said, with a small, sad smile on his face.

Evy took it from him gingerly, and held it as if it was a ticking time bomb. She had not talked to her father in nearly four years. At times she had wanted to so badly that it hurt. But now that the time was here, she was nervous. What if John didn't really want to talk to her, and was only doing it now to appease Dean? Did he still care about her at all? Evy looked to Sam, who still had a hand on her back. He nodded, encouraging her without saying a word. Taking a deep breath, she held the phone to her ear.

"Hi, daddy."

John, on the other end of the line, was just as fearful as Evy. "Hey, little one. How you doing?"

"Okay." Evy said awkwardly. "Are you okay? Can we see you?"

 _Unbeliveable._ John thought. Four years he'd been ignoring her and she still wanted to see him. _How the hell did I get such a forgiving kid?_ Everything in him wanted to tell Evy that yes, you can see me. I'll come to you and hug you and hold you until you can't stand the sight of me anymore. Though he had been to see her without her knowledge in the past, he hadn't done so in close to eighteen months. But he couldn't. It occurred to John that he didn't even know what Evy looked like now. But he prepared to do what he seemed to do best-let her down and hope that she'd forgive him later.

"I'm sorry, little one." John said. "Not now. When I find what I'm looking for, I promise we'll talk. Okay?"

Disappointment shot through Evy like poison, but she choked back the tears and answered, "Yes, sir."

"Good girl." John said.

"Daddy?" Evy asked. She knew John was trying to hang up, but she had to know. "Are you mad at me?"

"Mad at you?" John asked. "For what?"

"Leaving." Evy answered.

"No." John answered honestly. "No, sweetheart, I'm not. Don't worry about that anymore, okay?"

"Okay. I love you, daddy." Evy said, her voice starting to break.

"I love you too, little one." John said. "I'm sorry I haven't told you that. I love you too."

"Bye." Evy said, handing the phone to Sam to hang up.

The rest of the day was a somber affair. While Dean packed up their belongings, Sam took Evy out for pancakes to try and cheer her up. He swallowed back his own anger, even though he knew it was a bad idea. Later that evening, just as the sun was going down, they climbed into the Impala and headed for Indiana. Evy laid down in the backseat without saying goodnight to Sam or Dean. Sam watched her in the rearview mirror every few minutes, wondering if she was actually asleep or if she was trying to avoid talking. He knew she was hurt by John still refusing to see her, but he didn't want to try and coax her to talk in front of Dean. So he just listened as Dean described the case.

In the backseat, Evy was drifting between sleep and being awake. She was exhausted, but her mind was racing. Talking to John, however briefly, had set her up for disappointment. She wanted to see him, and had foolishly thought that asking him to do that would automatically make him come to them. She had believed that he still wanted something to do with her, and apparently she was wrong. Though he said differently, John was still sore that she'd left and wanted her to stay away. He was all but telling her the same thing he'd said to Sam. _If you leave, don't come back._ Evy felt Sam pull the car over. She tried to block out the conversation between them, but could tell they were arguing about going to find John.

"How the hell would you know how I feel?" Sam asked. "How Evy feels?"

"Dad said it wasn't safe. For any of us. Especially her." Dean said. Though she couldn't see him, Evy pictured Dean pointing at her in the back.

 _I really wish you two would quit fighting,_ Evy thought.

They argued some more, and Evy pulled her jacket over her head to try and muffle some of the noise. Usually, if they were arguing and she did that, they'd take the hint and cool it, but it didn't seem to work this time. The argument got even more heated. Evy heard Sam slam get out and slam the door. She gave up trying to pretend she wasn't listening and sat up. Her window was cracked, so she could hear everything the two of them said. She started to think _it's going to be a long week_ , when she heard Sam say something that made her breath catch in her throat.

"Well, this selfish bastard is going to California."

In full panic mode now, Evy opened her door and climbed out of the car. Sam had his duffel bag on his shoulder and was walking away from the car. Evy felt as if her heart was slamming against her chest.

"You're leaving?"

Sam stopped cold. He had let himself get so heated in the argument with Dean that he'd forgotten that Evy was in the backseat. She looked terrified, and Sam very nearly apologized and put his bag back in the trunk. But he needed answers. Sam didn't want to leave her, but he needed answers-about his mom, about Jess, about why his life was so screwed up. Dean would take care of Evy, but he had to go. Sam placed his bag down on the ground and walked over to her, feeling more guilt than he'd ever felt before. Sam bent down in front of her, so that he was eye level with her. He wiped some tears away from her face with the back of his thumb before trying to explain. He had to prepare himself; he knew she was going to beg him to stay and he didn't know if he'd be able to tell her no. It felt just as bad as telling her he was leaving for Stanford, when she'd been eight years old.

"I'm going to California to look for daddy." Sam said. "Try and figure out what it was that killed Jess. You stay with Dean. Listen to him, keep up your schoolwork. Okay?"

"Sammy, please don't go." Evy begged, grabbing his arm that was trying to wipe her tears away and hugging it to her. "Please don't."

"Shhh. Don't cry, baby. It's not forever. I promise it's not forever."

"But I need you." she said between cries. "I need you to keep me safe."

"Dean will keep you safe, Cricket." Sam said.

"But I don't want Dean!" Evy protested, dropping his arm in frustration. "I want you! Sammy, please!"

Sam looked to Dean for help, but Dean stood with his arms crossed over his chest, throwing Sam a look that clearly said _she's your responsibility. You started this. You finish it._ Sam glared at Dean, then turned back to Evy.

"Baby, please. I'm sorry. I have to. I need to know." Sam tried to explain. "If I go and find daddy, I might be able to end this…"

"But you promised me!" Evy said. "You said we'd be okay as long as we stayed together."

 _Damn it,_ Sam thought. "I know, baby. How about this? If I don't find daddy in a week, I'll either come back or I'll have Dean send you to me."

Evy didn't like it at all, but a week was better than forever. "Just a week?"

"Just a week." Sam promised. He didn't want to, but he did. "Cross my heart."

It worked. Evy finally calmed down, thought she was still upset. "Okay, Sammy."

"Okay." Sam said. "Can I have a hug?"

Evy threw her arms around his neck and held on tightly, hoping in vain that she could hold him down and keep him from leaving. Sam let her go after a couple minutes, and wiped her face again. After assuring her again that he'd be back, Sam turned to leave. He started walking away briskly, and didn't look back, afraid that if he did he'd see Evy's heartbroken face and be unable to leave.

Back at the car, Dean coaxed Evy into the front seat. She was inconsolable, and Dean allowed her to lay down in the front seat with her head in his lap. He mostly drove with one hand while trying to comfort her with the other. Evy eventually fell asleep, and Dean wondered to himself how he was even going to begin to take care of her. While he'd taken care of Sam, Evy had, by default, always been Sam's responsiblility. Dean loved her more than his own life, but he wasn't sure how to talk to her at all. Dean hoped some sleep would help cheer her up, but it didn't. When they rolled into town the next morning, Evy was still upset. She wasn't crying about it this time, but she was quiet. Too quiet for Dean's liking.

"Hey, kiddo. You want to go with me to ask about the couple?" Dean asked.

Evy shook her head. "No thanks." she said. "I'll wait for you here."

Dean was disappointed; he'd actually looked forward to working a case with Evy. She had proved herself on the last job they'd been on, and he was eager to let her keep stretching her wings. Even though she was still just a little kid in his eyes, he saw in her the potential to be a truly great hunter.

"Alright." Dean said. "Keep an eye on Baby, okay?"

Dean tried to get her involved in the hunt, but Evy's heart just wasn't in it. Dean suspected something was going on among the town locals, so he drove to the next town over for lunch so they could talk in private. Evy picked at her food, her mind far away while she sat in front of Dean. Dean, concerned with her silence, grabbed her hand so she'd look at him.

"I know you're upset. But please talk to me. Don't shut me out." he begged.

Evy took a ragged breath, tears threatening to spill over. "I'm scared."

"Scared?" Dean asked. He'd been expecting her to say angry or upset, not scared. "Scared of what?"

"I don't want us to split up again." she said quietly.

Dean's heart broke for her. "Oh, kiddo."

"I just want my family." Evy said. "My whole family. We don't talk when we're apart…"

"Kiddo, listen to me." Dean said. "I can't promise you that Sam'll want to work together again. If he decides to keep looking for dad, you're gonna have to decide whether you want to go with him or stay with me. But I do need to tell you this. I'm so sorry, kiddo."

"Sorry for what?" Evy asked between sniffles.

"I know it hurt you when I didn't see you in person after you left with Sam." Dean explained. Evy shifted uncomfortably, but didn't say anything. "And I know it hurt you that dad wouldn't talk to you. I thought I was doing the right thing by keeping my distance. But that's not going to happen again."

Evy looked up, two lone tears streaming down her face. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that it's not gonna be like last time. I'll see you, in person, as much as I possibly can." Dean promised.

"Even if I go with Sam?" Evy asked.

"Even if." Dean swore. "From now on, I'm always gonna be there for you, kiddo. Okay?"

Evy smiled for the first time since they had ended their last case. "Okay."

Dean got a mischievious grin on his face that Evy hadn't seen since she was a little kid. "Okay?" he asked, his hand rising slowly into the air.

"Dean, no." Evy said, keeping her eye on Dean's hand.

"Okay?" Dean repeated, before finally launching his hand towards her middle where he ran his fingers up and down her sides.

"Deanie, no…"

Dean went into full fledge tickle mode, and Evy was practically shrieking with delight. Dean knew everyone was looking at them, but he didn't care. Evy was finally happy, even if it was only temporary. Dean was surprised when she dived under the table and came out beside him. She returned his 'tickle attack' as she used to call it, and he was soon as loud as she had been. The manager of the restaurant came over and kicked them out, and they were both laughing all the way to the car. Once they had both calmed down, Dean turned to her and asked,

"You okay, kiddo?"

Evy took a deep breath before answering. "I'm better." she said. "I still wish Sam would come back."

"Me too." Dean admitted. "Me too." He got an idea, and that mischievous grin came back. "You want to go scare the drive thru people?"

"Nope." Evy said. "Let's go kick that fugly scarecrow's butt."

Dean laughed and reached over to pull her in a hug. Evy pulled back from his hand, and it took Dean a second to figure out why.

"Truce." he said. "Promise."

Evy smiled and climbed over to hug him. "I love you, Deanie."

"I love you too, kiddo."

They pulled out of the restaurant parking lot, headed to the local community college to talk to a professor about what was going on in town. They had only made it a few hundred feet away when Dean's cell rang. He took a nervous glance at Evy.

"It's Sammy, isn't it?" When Dean nodded, she shook her head. "I don't want to talk to him right now. Tell him I'm asleep."  
"Okay."

Dean answered and surprisingly, Sam didn't ask about Evy right away. He gave Sam a summary of the case, and Sam offered his ideas for it. Evy stared out the window as they talked, and Dean knew she was trying to make him think that she wasn't listening. Sam finally said what Dean had been dreading.

"Let me talk to Evy."

"She's asleep." Dean said automatically.

So automatically that Sam saw right through it. "Did she tell you to say that?"

"Yep." Dean answered.

"Dean, put her on the phone." Sam said. "She can't avoid me just because she's mad at me."

Dean agreed with Sam, but didn't say it. He handed Evy the phone. "Sorry, kid. I tried."

Evy glared at the phone but took it form Dean. "Hi, Sammy."

"Hey, Cricket." Sam said. "Why didn't you want to talk to me?"

"Why didn't you want to stay with me?" Evy snapped, and immediately regretted it.

Sam sighed. "Cricket, I'm sorry."

"I know, Sammy." Evy responded. "I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's okay." Sam said. "You know I didn't mean to hurt you, right?"

 _Didn't you just say that while we were at the asylum?_ Evy thought. "I know. I'm just scared, Sammy. You're the only one who's always been there for me and I don't want to lose you too."

Dean was stung a little at that, but didn't say anything. Though he had talked to her while she lived with Sam at Stanford, and been there for her more than John had, Sam was the only one who had never stopped being there for her. He knew Evy better than Dean or John ever had. He knew what she liked and disliked, what she dreamed of, what she was afraid of, what made her happy, angry, or sad; all the things Dean was ashamed to admit he didn't know.

"Cricket, you won't." Sam promised. "I meant it when I said I'd always be there for you. And I will. I just need a few days to look for dad on my own."

"You're still coming right?" Evy asked. "If you don't find him in a week?"

"Have I ever broken a promise to you?" Sam asked.

"No." Evy admitted.

"I won't break this one, Cricket." Sam promised again. "If I haven't found dad by this time next week, and I don't have a lead on him, I'll come back. If I do have a lead on him, I'll get Dean to put you on a bus and send you to me. Okay?"

"Okay, Sammy."

"I love you, Cricket." Sam said. "Do you remember how much?"

Evy smiled. "To the moon and back."  
"To the moon and back." Sam repeated. "I'll see you soon."

"Okay. Bye, Sammy."

As they hung up and Evy handed Dean his phone back, he noted that Evy looked much better. He decided to not bring up the call with Sam, and asked if she wanted to go into the professor's office with him. She decided not to, electing to stay in the car. Dean was worried she was slipping back into being depressed again, but Evy explained that she wanted to keep a lookout.

"I think someone from Burkitsville might have followed us." she said.

Dean thought it was a long shot, but decided it was better to be safe than sorry. "Alright. If you see someone, honk the horn."

Evy agreed, and watched as Dean went inside. She rolled the window down slightly, as it was an unusually hot day for the fall. That turned out to be a mistake. Dean had been gone for fifteen minutes, and Evy was starting to think that she'd been paranoid thinking that someone was following them. She opened the door to get a little more fresh air, and that's when she felt it. The butt of a gun.

The first blow had her seeing stars, but didn't knock her out completely. She felt herself being pulled out of the car, and she reached over with her foot to tap the horn. She got a brief blast out before being dragged towards another car. She prayed that Dean had heard the horn, and passed out before knowing for sure.

When she woke up, Dean was lightly slapping her face, trying to get her to open her eyes. She could tell a lot of time had passed; she felt like she'd been sleeping for hours. She heard Dean say "Come on, kiddo, wake up" for the third time when she finally pushed herself to a sitting position.

"I'm awake." she said.

Dean breathed a sigh of relief. "How do you feel?"

"Like I got knocked out." she said honestly, rubbing the back of her still throbbing head. She then realized they were underground. "What happened? Where are we?"

Dean gave her the story, and Evy stared at him openmouthed by the time he was done.

"We're going to be _sacrificed_?" she asked.

"Basically." Dean said.

"And Sammy was worried about me getting shot again."

Despite the situation, Dean found himself laughing at her take on the situation. Before he could say anything else, the door to the cellar opened and the townspeople stared down at them. Dean expected Evy to be afraid, but he did her proud.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked.

Evy struggled against the sheriff, who was the one to drag her to the tree to be sacrificed. She even bit him at one point, making Dean cheer for her. Emily, the youngest girl in the group, had found out what the townspeople were doing. She protested, loudly, and was promptly dragged away by her aunt and uncle, leaving Dean and Evy alone.

"Dean?" Evy asked.

"Yeah?"

"What do we do?" Evy asked. "I'm trying to get free and I can't."

"I'm working on it." Dean said.

A few hours later, the sun had gone down, and Dean was still working on it. Emily had somehow broken away from her aunt and uncle and come to try and help them. A noise in the woods startled them all, but just as Evy was beginning to panic, a familiar face came to join them.

"Sammy!"

Sam untied Evy from the tree, and helped her, Dean, and Evy to get away. They took Emily to the bus station after her aunt and uncle were taken by the scarecrow. As happy as she was they were back together, Evy couldn't help but be scared. Sam noticed, but figured she was just tired from the ordeal of the case and needed some sleep. After getting a room that night, Evy sat on the bed in front of Sam, who was on his laptop looking for another case.

"Hey, Cricket." he said. "You okay?"

Evy didn't say anything at first, trying to find the right way to say what she needed to. "I need to talk to you."

Sam, concerned with the way she sounded, put away the laptop. "What's going on?" he asked.

Evy took a breath and said sadly, "You really scared me when you left."

"Cricket, I'm sorry…" Sam started; he had apologized at the bus station earlier, but obviously she was still upset.

"Sammy, stop." Evy said. She wasn't looking for an apology. She had to explain to him why she didn't want him to leave again. "Please just listen to me. Let me get this out."

Sam's mouth snapped shut and he nodded.

"Every time you leave, something bad happens." At Sam's confused look, she explained, "Think about it. The first time, when you went on that solo hunt, daddy told me the truth about the supernatural and you had that big fight. The second time, when you left for Stanford, I didn't see you for months. Then you left after Christmas and I lost Squish. Then Jess...Jess died while you were on the road with Dean and away from me. And now, while you were gone looking for daddy, that stupid scarecrow almost got me and Dean."

Sam was too stunned to speak.

"Please don't leave me again." Evy said, her terrified voice taking him back to the night he left for Stanford. "I need you. I don't feel safe without you."

Sam felt guilty all over again. She was right. The worst things did seem to happen when he wasn't there to protect her. He saw now exactly why she had been so terrified when she'd tried to stop him from going to San Francisco. Sam finally decided on the right thing to do. He grabbed her hands and held them, then promised her,

"Cricket, I swear to you, as long as I'm breathing, I'll never leave you like that again." Sam wiped a few of the tears away from her face and said again, "I'm so sorry, Cricket."

Though she was unsure whether or not she should believe him, Evy grabbed him in a hug and held onto him. It felt to her like when she was a little kid, and he would pull her into his arms and hold her until she felt peaceful again. When Sam heard her yawn, he made her go to bed, making sure to tuck her in and kiss her goodnight.

"I love you, Cricket."  
"Love you too, Sammy."


End file.
